


The Not So Tyrant

by Daily_Smiles



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Happy Ending, Some Fluff, some violence i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 20:27:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17988005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daily_Smiles/pseuds/Daily_Smiles
Summary: A fanfic about the love between reader and Zhin. (I am not good at summaries, sorry, but I a sure you that this fanfic is worth it)





	1. Explanation (Author's Note)

So I made this story after seeying Koga's lore cinemati (Koga's Revenge). It was supposed to be an explanation about what happen, but with reader in the story. THE PROBLEM IS : I was stupid and didn't notice the new Skye there so...... I didn't put her in the story because I was almost half away to the end and I didn't had any ideias for Skye. Other character that I miss was Sha-Lin. In this case I just forgot that Sha-Lin once was in The Thousand Hands Guild X'D my bad I guess. Let's just say he left before this or that reader never meet Sha-Lin. (I like Sha-Lin don't be mad at me it was just a mistake).

 

It took me months to do this and I only got it to post now (I started this like in the end of July). So if you like this story please leave kudos it means a lot to me. Enjoy : )  
  
Sorry my english by the way.


	2. The Not So Tyrant

Waking up, you move your hand to find an empty, yet still warm spot beside you. You knew he would be up before you, it always happens and with time you got used to it. You still remember all the times you told him that you didn’t mind waking up early and start working, but he never listened. You close your eyes and start to remember one of those times.

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  
  
  
  


_You were_ _walking down the hall with your usual_[ _outfit_](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/08/74/ab/0874abcff9f3d26af97777f32fbaccac--game-concept-concept-art.jpg) _. You were going to find Zhin and tell him again that he didn’t need to sneak out of the bedroom and let you sleep until late._

 

_ When you finally found him he was talking with someone at the front door of the Thousand Hands Guild building. It was probably someone with a new offer for him, maybe someone sent by the Magistrate to make a new deal or someone with new information about Koga. _

 

_ You knew he was still mad about what happened that day. The day that Koga came for his revenge. The day where everything between you and him changed. _

 

_ When the stranger walked out you approach Zhin from  _ _ behind. You make no noise,  _ _ so that you could hug him and take him by surprise. _

 

_ The moment you hug him he immediately became alerted, but when he realised that was you, he sighed. _

 

_ “You know that I don't like when you do that.” he sounded disappointed, but you know him well enough to know that he was lying and that he actually likes when you surprise him. _

 

_ “And you know that I don’t like when you sneak out and leave me alone sleeping in the bedroom.” you teased. _

 

_ He shook his head and you smiled. He may be called The Tyrant, but to you he wasn’t as cold as he was to other people. _

 

_ Since the beginning you helped him. You saw him grow on the criminal underworld and you helped him. When he built his empire called the Thousand Hands guilt you were there always by his side, but back then he seemed to never notice you. Until that day. _

 

_ You didn’t even recalled closing your eyes, but when you opened them you notice that he had turned around and pulled you gently to his chest. You smiled and closed your eyes again. You felt him bury his head in your hair and you knew what was coming. _

 

_ “I need to go now, you can rest more if you want.” he gently whispered in your ear. _

 

_ You would always be mad in this moment. You could fight, you could do something useful, but he just treated you like a porcelain doll that could break at any moment or touch. _

 

_ You knew telling him this wouldn’t change a thing, you had already tried a couple of times and it always ended the same way you and him having an  _ argument, _ shouting at each other until he had enough and threaten you with something, leaving and not talking for days or weeks even. In that period of time you would have to sleep alone, to wake up in the middle of the night all sweating and maybe screaming from a nightmare and there would be no one to comfort you, in the morning you would wake up and feel sad because of the cold on the other side of the bed. _

 

_ With all that in mind you make the decision of let him go from the hug and smile to him. _

 

_ “Okay. I will go and rest for a bit before starting the day, but you have to promise me that you will be careful if you are going to fight and that you will come back.” you looked directly into his brown eyes to find them with a special glint on them. He rested his forehead on yours and put his hands on your arms. _

 

_ “I will… I promise. Now go and rest you look like you need it.” he kissed your forehead and left. _

 

_ With a small smile you made your way back to bed to rest a little more. _

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  


You smiled at that memory. That was one of the many times where he showed how much he cares about you. He never said the words ‘I love you’ because of his title. He always seems to have two faces to you and you always feared that if you said anything you would be making a fool of yourself and that you could never face him again without feeling like an idiot. Thinking about it you would rather run away like Koga did more than face Zhin after saying something really embarrassing.

 

Koga was your first real friend back then when he was part of the Thousand Hands Guild. You would always talk to him because he was stronger than the others and because he had the guts to confront Zhin being a street rat that he was back then. He proved to be worthy of belonging to the Thousand Hands Guild and to be trained by Zhin.

 

He was the only one that knew your feelings towards Zhin. He would tease you about it, but he would also try to help you with it, always motivating you to never give up on your feelings and to always stay by Zhin’s side to gain his trust.

 

You would train a lot with Koga. The training always ended in three ways. 

 

The first way was when Koga won the fight. He would mock you about it for the rest of the day. If you won you would just say that it was a good fight and you would tease, but just a little. 

 

The second was when you and Koga stop because you two were exhausted and both of you would go and eat something together. 

 

The third end was the worst end back then that would be when Zhin  caught you and Koga training. He would scold both of you for not taking the fight seriously and would always point out yours and Koga’s mistakes. Zhin would always look angry and sound disappointed with both of you. If he was in a really bad mood he would fight against you and Koga until you two were exhausted and admit your defeat. In those moments you were always reminded that you were the weakest because you would be the first to admit defeat and after that you would sit in a corner and watch Zhin and Koga fight.

 

Koga would always say that you weren’t weak just too shy to show Zhin how good of a fighter you were, but you knew that he just didn’t want you to feel bad about yourself.

 

Time passed and the rumors started to grow and you knew Zhin was becoming furious about these rumors. So you went to Koga’s room to talk to him. You still remember what happened, but it always hurts to relive that moment.

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  


_ You ran to Koga’s room. You knew these rumors would bring consequences, but having a furious Zhin just because of some fake evidence and those stupid lies. _

 

_ You dread for your friend life too much because he was all you had besides your feelings for Zhin. He always helped you, so now was your turn to help him.  _

 

_ When you entered his room you saw your dear friend with his armour ready to fight if needed. You noticed that he was packing to leave. You started to feel tears running down your face. You were going to lose your dear friend, the only person on the hole empire that you trust more than any other person. _

 

_ “Hey, now. Don’t cry. It is gonna be okay.” Koga walked to you and gave you a hug. _

 

_ You knew that he was trying to comfort you, but you knew the consequences of fleeing from the Thousand Hands Guild. Zhin would be even more furious about Koga’s actions and Koga would be accused for betraying and dishonor his family. _

 

_ “You can’t leave!! He will be furious!!” you started to sob and shaking your head “And...and… I d-don’t have anyone else.” you looked at him “P-please stay. You know what will happen if you leave.” _

 

_ Koga puts his head on top of yours. _

 

_ “I know what will happen, that is why I am leaving without anyone knowing.” he pulled away from the hug, putting his hands on your shoulders and looking into your eyes with a serious look. _

 

_ “I need you to stay. I don’t need you to get in to troubles because of me. Besides you need to stay and show your loyalty to Zhin and with my treason he will need to have people that he can trust. That is when you have to prove him wrong about your loyalty and skills. You need to show him what you really got and that you will never leave him no matter what. Don’t worry this will not be the last time we see each other, okay. So don’t cry.” he wiped your tears away. _

 

_ “Okay, but please be careful.” you gave him a sad smile and hug him. After a brief moment he lets go of you. _

 

_ “I need to go now. Do as I said and prove him wrong.” he smiled and you nod with a confident expression. Koga pick his things and left the room. Leaving you alone and alone you stayed for the longest time.  _

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  
  


You open your eyes to feel hot tears falling down your face. After what Koga did Zhin was mad more than ever. 

 

You worked really hard to go up to the top and when you made it he seemed to still not trust you.

 

It felt like yesterday that you started taking a lot of missions that nobody wanted, training until collapsing from exhaustion, your sleeping schedule was a disaster and you only eat when you really needed. All that to get to the top, all that to get his attention, but he never seemed to care, not until that day.

 

You started sobbing hard. Pulling your knees up and hugging them, you curled into a ball. You hate those memories. They are too painful to remember.

 

You were to focus on your pain that you didn’t hear the door opening nor the fast footsteps make their way to your side nor you feel a pair of arms wrapping around you. 

 

You lean into the warm, not caring if you showed how weak you are. You were suffocating in your own thoughts. It was starting to get hard to breathe.

 

You feel a hand petting your hair, soft whispers making their way to your ears, but even if you tried your best you couldn’t make out the words.

 

Time passed and you begin to calm down. You feel your body starting to gave into sleep after all that crying.

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  
  
  


_ It was a normal day. In normal days you wake up, train, eat and train again.  _

 

_ You were walking down the hall when a guy named  _ [ _ Gino _ ](https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/15/151336/2282137-at_gino_knab.jpg) _ bumped into you. _

 

_ “S-Sorry, m-my l-lady.” Gino slightly bowed. _

 

_ Gino is new, so he needed an example to follow and no one wanted to have a newbie following them like a puppy and have the patience to answer the newbie’s stupid questions. _

 

_ You usually help him when you train which is most of the time. You gave him tips and some time you fight against him. He looks up at you. He was the closest thing you have as a ‘friend’ and he really likes you, but after what happened with Koga you became a cold and distant person. _

 

_ “Don’t worry, just be more careful.” you started to walk again. _

 

_ “Y-Yes, I will t-try to be more careful. W-Where are you going now?” he followed you while playing with his fingers and not making eye contact, obviously nervous. _

 

_ “I was going to train before having a meeting to decide what my new duties are going to be.” _

 

_ “You think they will send you undercover to one of sides or will they send you to fight!” he said excitedly to know that you would probably be promoted. _

 

_ “Whatever it is I hope I will be up to the challenge.” you started thinking about how you would give everything to succeed and get Zhin’s attention. _

 

_ “Hey! Hey! Are you listen to me?” Gino waved a hand in front of your face. _

 

_ “I...I apologize. What were you saying?” you looked at Gino. _

 

_ “I was asking if I could train with you. You know it may be the last time and I have some new sick moves to show you.” Gino said with a smile. _

 

_ “New moves or new ways for me to knock you out?” you chuckled. _

 

_ “Hey!! I have been improving.” he putted a hand over his heart and gives you a fake painful look. _

 

_ “I know and I-” You were interrupted by a loud noise. _

 

_ You and Gino ran in the direction of the noise. When you entered the room where the noise was coming from you saw dead soldiers laying on the ground and guy with white hair in front of Zhin, ready to fight. When the guy with white hair dropped his submachine guns and pulled out a pair of claws you recognize who the guy with white hair was. _

 

_ “K-Koga.” you murmured. You started to feel a mix of feelings. _

 

_ “Are you okay?” Gino asked not knowing what to do. _

 

_ “Go!! Call someone!!” you ordered, but Gino didn’t move so you push him saying “Go!! Now!!” and he ran away. _

 

_ You looked at Zhin and Koga to see them fighting. You noticed that Koga was stronger than before. They were like two gladiators in an arena fighting with all they have to amuse the people who watch. Yet they weren’t amusing you instead they were making you sad and angry. You wanted them to stop no matter how. _

 

_ “Stop!!!” you screamed from the top of your lungs. _

 

_ Unfortunately they showed no signs of hearing you. You didn’t know how to make them stop. Every time one of them tried to attack the other would always counter and attack right back. They never miss a beat. It was like a dance that would never end. _

 

_ You slowly made your way to them, making sure to not step on the dead bodies. You were shaking with fear or maybe something else, you didn’t know. _

 

_ When you got close. Zhin seemed to finally notice you. He looked shocked for a moment. It look like he wanted to say something, but Koga didn’t let him. _

 

You really didn’t blame Koga for that day. He didn’t knew it was you. Could have been anyone.

 

Everything happened so fast that with time they became blurry memories. They would always change, but the story was the same.

 

_ Koga started to gain more power and the only thing Zhin could do was defend himself. Until a certain movement of Koga throws Zhin’s Inferno Blade to the other side of the room. _

 

_ Koga was going to do the final hit, so you did the only thing you could think of. _

 

_ You ran to Zhin and hug him, protecting him from Koga’s claw. The claw hit your back ripping your outfit and craving it’s mark on your back. _

 

_ You squeeze Zhin because of all the pain. You start to feel weak, you hear voices, but you couldn’t make out the words. You feel hands holding you tightly rocking you back and foard. Soft whispers of words you couldn’t understand make their way to your ears driving you to sleep. _

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  
  
  
  


Everything after that was weird.

 

_ You woke up in a different bed. In a different room. Not knowing who brought you there or where you were. Your back hurt like hell just by moving a little. _

 

_ You started to panic about what could have happened with Koga and Zhin. All the dark thoughts about what could have happened were making you nervous. You try to sit up, groaning at the pain in your back. _

 

_ You looked around admiring the room and trying to recognize something. You notice that you were on a king size bed with dark green sheets and in there are two bedside tables, but only the one at your right had a oil lamp with a small flame. The room was dark and there was only a window where you could see the dark sky with a full moon. _

 

_ You were looking around some more when you heard the door opening. All your fear and anxiety came back. You started looking around trying to think about a way out. _

 

_ But suddenly you hear a very familiar voice. _

 

_ “You shouldn't be up. You need to rest.” Zhin sighed, shaking his head and making his way to your side while holding a cup of tea “I made some tea. You should drink it. It will give you some strength and will keep you warm.” you took the cup of tea from him. _

 

_ “Thank you.” you smiled a little. He only nodded in response. _

 

_ He picked up a chair, which was in the corner of the room, placed it near the bed on your right, and sat down on it. _

 

_ You noticed that he really looked exhausted, but at the same time he seemed to be relaxed. That made you wonder how many times he would take a break to relax. _

 

_ A soft chuckle draws you from your thoughts making you realize that you have been staring for too long, you blush and look away. You started to drink the tea to try to calm down and make all this less awkward. The problem was that you couldn’t stop looking at him from the corner of his eye, only to be caught by him making you look away again. _

 

_ Silence filled the room. The tea was the only thing keeping you calm in that moment because you feel like you failed to do something that was your duty. To help Zhin fight Koga and not to be a coward and just stand there like you did. _

 

_ Yes, you did help by taking a hit instead of him, but you could have done much more and finally show him your skills, yet you did no such thing. Instead you ended up by probably showing him how useless you are. _

 

_ “It’s okay now. You will be fine.” Zhin took the teacup from your hands and putted it on the nightstand. _

 

_ Right now you wanted to ask so many questions about so many things. You start opening and closing your mouth, but nothing comes out. You look away with shame. You feel furious with yourself and the way you were behaving. _

 

_ You look down at your hands with pure hate. You start digging your nails in the palm of your hands, the words  _ **_weak_ ** _ and  _ **_useless_ ** _ were echoing in your head, making you feel disgusted by yourself. _

 

_ Zhin cleared his throat making you snap out of your thoughts. _

 

_ “I know you must have a lot of questions about what happened.” he sighed shaking his head while massaging his temple with his right hand. _

 

_ You gave him a worried look. You wanted to know what happened yes, but you also wanted to know other things like why does he look so exhausted? Where are you? What happened to Koga? Is he dead? Did he ran away? What will happen to you?  You needed to know so many things. _

 

_ You take a deep breath and try to calm down. _

 

_ “Take your time. You will have a lot of time to rest for now own. That damn claw wen deep enough to leave a scar.” he murmured the last part looking at his hands “We cleaned and treated your wound. You will have to take some medicine from now own.” he looked up to you with a serious expression “You should have called  reinforcement!!” he looked mad as hell making your previous dark thoughts come back to you. _

 

_ And what he said next doesn’t help a thing either. _

 

_ “Why did you do that!? You only got hurt!! Was it worthy!? You were to reckless!! You-” _

 

_ “I told Gino to call for help.” you interrupted him, taking him by surprise. _

 

_ He was going to say something, but you didn’t let him. _

 

_ “I was going to wait for Gino to come back with help, but…” you trailed off looking down “I knew something was going to happen and I was right. Koga started to attack more and more and you were only countering them, so I thought-” _

 

_ “You were wrong!! I could defend myself!! I am stronger than you!!” he shook his head “You were defenseless. With all those weapons around and you just…” he sighed “I will get you some food.”  _

 

_ He got up from his chair and started to leave, but you wanted him to stay, to forgive you and to not be disappointed at you. _

 

_ So, ignoring all your pain on your back, you crawl to the end of the bed and hug his waist from behind making him stop in tracks. Silent tears begin to appear. _

 

_ “I’m sorry. I-I’m s-so sorry. Just don’t leave me.” you closed your eyes waiting for the maybe inevitable outcome. _

 

_ You wait for a remark, a dirty comment, an order, some cold words to break you and your heart into pieces. _

 

_ Instead you feel a pair of hands on your arms gently massaging them. You were confuse, but at the same time you felt happy. After relaxing your grip on Zhin, his hands parted your arms to the side. _

 

_ He turns around and kneels by the bed. Zhin’s hands moved to cup your face, to wipe the remaining tears from your face. When there is no more tears Zhin gives you a real smile. _

 

_ “Shhh. It’s okay. I won’t leave you. I just need to get you some food. You must be hungry, no?” _

 

_ In that moment your stomach grumbled and you started to feel embarrassed, so you look away.  _

 

_ You hear a chuckle and when you look at the owner of the chuckle you see Zhin shaking his head with a real grin on his face. _

 

_ That made you smile. You have never seen him smile like that. The only times you saw him smile or grin was when he was humiliating someone he really hated and even those looked so fake in comparison with this one. _

 

_ He looks into your eyes and with his right hand he pushes a strand of hair behind your ear. _

 

_ “Now, I am going to get you some food and I expect you to be under the covers resting when I come  back. After eating I need to look at your injury. It must have hurt after what you just did.” he said softly. _

 

_ You gave him a nod. He kissed your forehead and started to leave. But when he was a the door  you couldn’t help yourself. _

 

_ “Can I ask you a question?” _

 

_ He turned around smiling. _ __   
  


_ “Yes, of course.” _

 

_ “What happened to Koga?” you needed to know what happened to him You needed to know if he was dead or not. _

 

_ You instantly regret asking it when you see Zhin’s smile disappear. He looks away, hanging his head low. You notice his hand tightened its grip on the door. You begin to worry about it all, Zhin’s behaviour, your safety and what happened to Koga. You hear Zhin sigh. _

 

_ “He managed to escape.” his voice was darker and full of hate. _

 

_ “I am-” before you could apologize he left the room, slamming the door shut. _

 

_ You are relieved to know that Koga was alright, but sad and preoccupied with Zhin. You shake your head, making your way under the covers to try to rest a little. _

 

_ When your eyes were starting to close a loud noise jolts you awake. You look at the door with fear on your eyes. You wonder what happened. After a while there was only silence, so you try to relax again. You ended up falling asleep. _

  
  
  
  


_ In your dream you were in a dark room with only a door. You start to make your way to the door, every step you take would make an echo like in a horror movie. _

 

_ You are about to open the door when blood started to appear in the door making  _ [ _ the symbol  of the Thousand Hands Guilt _ ](https://d1u5p3l4wpay3k.cloudfront.net/paladins_gamepedia/thumb/5/56/ThousandHands.png/120px-ThousandHands.png?version=182ee0f72b8b14fbe48ae2ace9d03441) _ , dripping down the door. _

 

_ You knew that if you wanted to wake up you needed to open the door, so with a shaking hand you turn the handle. _

 

_ You open the door to find Zhin against the wall on your left side and Koga against the wall on your right side. They are both on the ground bleeding out. You can hear them groan in pain, and see their hands on their wounds. You start to panic. You know that you could only save one of them. _

 

_ Which one will you chose? Your dear old friend or the person that you vowed to protect and serve, the person you maybe still have feelings for. _

 

_ You look at Zhin, then at Koga and then back at Zhin. You make up your mind and run to Zhin. Kneeling next to him you start to move his hands away from the wound. _

 

_ You notice that the wound was made by Koga’s claw. You touch Zhin’s wound making him cry out in pain. You look at your hands to find them full of blood. _

 

_ You needed to stop the bleeding. You put pressure on the wound, but you know that wasn’t enough and that he was going to die. The wound was too deep and too big to try to make the bleeding stop, especially with all the blood already on the ground. _

 

_ You started sobbing, holding Zhin close to you. You try everything to help him, but nothing works. You check his pulse to find that he was already dead. You scream and curse while hugging Zhin’s dead body. _

 

_ Suddenly you hear a loud noise behind you. You turn around to see Koga’s shadow form pulling his claws out and about to strike your face with his right claw.  _

 

_ The last thing you did was scream with pure fear. _

  
  
  
  


_ (You are in Zhin’s lap on the chair because I can do this.) _

 

_ (ps: if you want an explanation just leave a comment. By the way I really want to make another chapter of this, but in Zhin’s point of view (it will explain the why of the reader being on Zhin’s lap) if you want it too tell me in the comments.) _

  
  


_ You wake up gasping. You notice a familiar pair of arms wrapped around you, bringing you into the warm of a chest. You feel a face nuzzling your hair. Knowing who it is you begin to relax. _

 

_ You were starting to fall asleep when you feel Zhin kiss your neck, making you smile. _

 

_ “You need to eat remember.” he kissed your jaw making you giggle “And I just brought you food.” he kissed your cheek “I think you should eat it while is still warm, but only if you are feeling like it.” he kissed your forehead “I will not make you do anything you don’t  want, but you need to eat something to gain some strength.” _

 

_ You turn your head to look at Zhin, with a big smile on your face, nodding your head. _

 

_ “You are right. I should eat.” you said and you see him smile. _

 

_ You pick up the tray, that was on the same bedside table where the oil lamp with a small flame was and put it on your lap. In the tray there is a cup of hot tea, soup and chicken and rice. You start for the soup. The warm feeling of the soup makes your belly feel warm and satisfied.  _

 

_ You feel like you are devouring the food instead of eating it like a normal person, so you try to slow down. You can’t blame yourself, you think to yourself, you didn’t even know how long you have been unconscious. _

 

_ When you started to eat the chicken and the rice you notice Zhin’s arms resting on the arm of the chair. _

 

_ You begin to remember the way Zhin looked tired, the way he sounded sad, the way he got angry with you when you asked for Koga and the way he comforted you when you woke up from that terrible nightmare.  _

 

_ He is probably to stress out with everything that happened you conclude. _

 

_ You look at your food and an idea pops out in your head. You take a piece of chicken on your fork. You are not sure if he has already ate something, but you wanted to give it a shot. _

 

_ You turn your head, so you can look at Zhin. He gives you a curious look making you smile. You raise the fork to his mouth. _

 

_ “What are you doing?” he frowned. _

 

_ “I think you need to eat too. You look tired and stressed. Maybe food will help you feel better.” you moved the fork closer to his mouth. _

 

_ “You are the one who should be eating to recover. I am fine don’t worry about me.” he turned his head to the  side to avoid the fork. _

 

_ “Oh, come on. I already ate the soup. It is just a piece of chicken. This will not kill you.” you gave him your best puppy eyes “Just this once, please.” _

 

_ Zhin sighs closing his eyes making you believe that maybe is going to eat it, but he doesn’t move. _

 

_ Your smile falls and you start to lower the fork when suddenly you feel a hand on your wrist. You watch, with a surprised face, Zhin bringing the fork to his mouth, eating the piece of chicken.  He lets go of your wrist to cover his mouth with his fist. _

 

_ A big grin appears on your face. You heart was melting to the view of the powerful tyrant, the leader of the big and the most fearest empire, the Thousand Hands Guild, doing something nice for one of his servers. _

 

_ After swallowing the food, Zhin motions with his hand to the tray while smiling. _

 

_ “I did my part of the deal, now  it is your turn.” _

 

_ You nod with a soft smile on your face. You turn your head around and start to eat. _

 

_ After a while you start to think if you could push him a little more, so that you could feed him again. You shyly turn around with a peace of chicken on the fork and a shy smile on your face. _

 

_ Zhin rolls his eyes at you, already knowing your intentions. _

 

_ “You are supposed to eat everything after making me eat that piece of chicken.” he said, smirking when you started blush with embarrassment. _

 

_ “I-I know, but just let me do this.” you moved the fork closer to his mouth “Please, just this once. I promise not to do it again. We can act like nothing of this happened in the morning if you want?” _

 

_ Zhin frowns at you, but then shakes his head. _

 

_ “Do you think I should believe in you? After all you just broke your promise  of eating the chicken alone.” his smirk grows seeing you look away in embarrassment and maybe shame. _

 

_ “But during my life I already had people that failed to keep their words, promises and loyalty.” he moved his head, still smirking, closer to yours, entering on your personal space and only leaving so little space between you two, that you could even feel his breath on your lips. _

 

_ “Do you know what happened to those who do that/failed me.” he titled his head a little making you notice a strange glint in his eyes. _

 

_ He stays silent for some time waiting for your answer. Which was a quick nod. _

 

_ “Good. We really wouldn’t want that. Especially not in my quarters.” your eyes widen at the fact that you are in his bedroom. _

 

_ Zhin turns his head to the side and eats the piece of chicken that was on the fork. He leans back, closing his eyes and covering his mouth with his fist. _

 

_ “W-wait I-I am in bedroom?” you asked making him look at you with a serious expression. _

 

_ “After what happened, you need to stay under my watch.” his face softened and he gives you a small smile. _

 

_ “You also need to rest, so I thought staying in my quarters would be a good idea.” he shrugged. _

 

_ “You can rest comfortably and I can watch and treat you.” his serious expression was back, but this time it had a look of determination as if he was making a promise to you and to himself “Besides I think it’s safer and more comfortable place for you to stay. If anything happens I will be here to protect you and to tell where to hide or where the hidden passages or weapons are.” his words made you smile and lean back into his chest. _

 

_ “Now I think you still have a chicken to eat and a promise to keep.” you heard him say above you. You look up at him to see him looking down at you smiling. _

 

_ “Only if you let me feed you.” you gave him a cocky smile. _

 

_ “Oh, is that so?” he smirked “Must  I remind you who am I.” he moved his right hand to your cheek, dragging it down to your neck, putting his hand around your neck as to choke you. _

 

_ “I am your master, the lord of the Thousand Hands Guild and the one you promise to serve, follow, honor and to do whatever is in your power to keep me happy.” his words alone made you feel nervous. _

 

_ You have never seen this side of him, you guess you never had the time or the opportunity to see it, since Zhin has never been to much around you. Yet you still wanted to make him give in to your wishes. You put down the fork. _

 

_ “I know and I have been doing all that things since the beginning.” you smiled at him “I also promise to take care of you when you need and that’s what I’m trying to do.” _

 

_ You move your hands to Zhin’s hand, that is on your neck, moving it to your lap. You look down to your lap and you start to trace Zhin’s tattoo. _

 

_ “If you let me feed you I will be proving not only my loyalty to you, but also showing you how much I care about you.” you said. _

 

_ You pick up piece of chicken with the fork and eat it. Then you pick up another piece, but this time you turn to face Zhin. _

 

_ “You know that if you don’t agree to this-” you moved the fork in his direction “I won’t eat it and it will get cold. So you better rethink your decision.” you smiled and he just shakes his head. _

 

_ “You are too stubborn.” he sighed. _

 

_ “I know and that's why I never left you. I always wanted to show you how skilled I am and prove you wrong.” he gave you a confusing look, not completely understanding what you meant. _

 

_ “Back then when I used to train with Koga, you used to tell me how weak and useless I was. You used to humiliate me, making me beg when we fought with each other.” your happiness became anger when you remember all those memories. _

 

_ “I have been by your side since the beginning always trying to impress you, but you would just ignored me.” you closed your eyes, trying to contain your anger and tears. _

 

_ “When Koga fought against you for the first time, you saw something in him.” you could feel Zhin’s body tense and probably growing anger with the repeatedly mention of Koga “So you took him in and trained him, making him one of the best ninjas. You were always so proud of him and his skills.” you opened your eyes looking at him with a sad look “I wanted - and I still want to be useful. I-I” you sighed closing your eyes, trying to calm down. _

 

_ When you reopen your eyes you look at Zhin. You were expecting Zhin to be furious, to just snap and leave the room, but  instead he gives you a sympathy look, eyes full of sadness and at the same time understanding and maybe even guilt. _

 

_ “I think we should just eat.” you gave him a serious look “Both. Of. Us.” _

 

_ To your surprise he nods in agreement. Just to make sure if he was telling the truth you move the fork closer to him, while raising an eyebrow. Man of his word, Zhin does eat the piece of chicken making you smile. _

 

_ You and Zhin ended up sharing the chicken and when the plate was empty you lean Zhin’s chest, closing your eyes and at some point you fall asleep. _

 

_ You wake up to a warm feeling. You feel a hand running through your hair and an arm wrapped around you holding you close. You keep your eyes closed not wanting to interrupt the moment. _

 

_ You were almost falling asleep again when you feel a kiss on your head. You also notice that the hand that was on your hair started to go down and trace your back. You tried not to move away or make any noise when he traced your wound, even if he didn’t apply any pressure on the wound, it hurts. _

 

_ “I’m sorry.” Zhin whispered making you think that he knew that you were awake, but before you could even open your eyes you feel Zhin kiss your hair and whisper. _

 

_ “I should have listened to him I was too blind by my arrogance. I couldn’t understand what he saw on you.” you heard him sigh. _

 

_ You wanted to do something, but you were too tired and sleepy, so you did nothing. _

 

_ “I was a fool. A fool that believed there was a treason to come.” you could hear the sadness in his voice “I am a fool that doesn’t deserve forgiveness. My little  _ _ shugo tenshi _ _.”  _ ( _ shugo tenshi _ means little angel in japanese, but just imagine that it is a ancient language because technically japanese doesn’t exist in Paladins universe. If I do another chapter I will explain the why of the japanese.)

 

_ When you heard Zhin calling you that, you smiled because it brings so many good memories from the past, but knowing that he was biting himself up and blaming himself from something that he couldn’t control made your smile disappear. _

 

_ An idea pops up on your mind. You move your head to his neck and nuzzle it, in the meantime you could feel  Zhin becoming tense and alerted. _

 

_ “I-I didn’t know you were awake. I’m sorry if i woke you.” he said trying to sound calm, but on your opinion he sounded nervous. The way Zhin spoke to you and apologized made you smile.  _

 

_ “There is nothing to forgive, you have done nothing wrong.” you yawned, blinking hard “And if you think you are a fool then I must admit, you are the most handsome fool I ever met.” you mumbled without thinking due to your tiredness. _

 

_ After a moment of silence you feel Zhin hands move to cradle you into a more comfortable position. You nuzzle his neck in a silent thank you and in response you feel a Zhin kiss your head.  _

 

_ “Sleep now. Tomorrow we will talk more about your new duties. But now is very important that you have a good sleep.” he gently told you and you couldn't be more happy to oblige. _

 

_ The moment you close your eyes you are long gone into a deep sleep. _

 

_ When you wake up the first thing you notice is the delightful smell of food. The second thing is that you are not in Zhin’s warm embrace on the chair, but instead you are under the covers of the bed.  _

 

_ You try to sit up, but at the minimal movement pain would shoot through you. You grit your teeth to avoid crying out in pain. _

 

_ After a while you manage to sit up. When you look at the bedside table you see a trail with an omelette, a cup of orange juice and a note. You pick up the note and read it : _

 

_ ‘I hope you slept well. Make sure to eat everything that is on the trail. All your duties have been cleared, so that can rest and recover. I’m sorry for not being present now, but I have important things to do. I will try to come to you as soon as I can, to treat your wounds, but if not possible I will be sending someone to do it. Now eat and get some rest I will be seeing you soon. _

 

_ Zhin.’ _

 

_ After reading Zhin’s note, you start to question the why of Zhin’s  behaviour, but never less you were smiling and you were with a small hope that maybe your relationships with Zhin will change for a better one. _

  
  
  


_ **** _

  
  
  


You wake up to a warm feeling, not opening your eyes, you snuggle into the source of the warm for more of it and you realise two things. The first thing is the fact that you were now laying on a bed. The second thing is that the source of the warm is a person that you are all wrapped around of, like a child to a parent after having a nightmare and asked them for comfort. You also notice that this person has one arm wrapped around you, hand massaging your back, and the other hand was patting your hair in a lovely manner.

 

You start to think hard about what happened making your body unconsciously tense. You try to slowly get away from the stranger embrace, but the stranger seemed to notice your intentions and didn’t agreed with them, holding you closer and not letting you go.

 

You were about to start trashing, but a very familiar voice spoke.

 

“Shhh. It’s just me, there is nothing to fear.” Zhin whispered.

 

You immediately relax. You open your eyes to see a very familiar dark outfit. You smile and look up to the owner of the voice and outfit. His face was soft like always when you two were alone, a small smile on his lips and his brown eyes held something different every time he looked at you, something you could never figure it out, but you knew they held something good.

 

This was one of those sweet times that you love to have and you tried to enjoy every second of it. But you always know that those didn’t last long. He had duties to attend to and a empire to rule.

 

You were to focus on the thoughts of him leaving you that you didn’t notice your smile change to a weak sad one. A hand moves a strand of hair from your face, bringing you back into reality.

 

“What is bothering you?” Zhin asked with a frown.

 

“It’s nothing important.” you lied giving him a small smile.

 

He sighs and you know that it means that he didn’t believe in your lie and was disappointed with you and your need to lie.

 

“We have talked about this, there is no need to lie to me.” his hand started to caress your cheek.

 

“I-I know, but I don’t want to bother you with my problems you have enough problems with the empire.” you confessed.

 

“The empire problems are not yours to worry.” a small smile appeared on Zhin’s face “You should already know that I would prefer to be stressed and full of problems with the empire than see you like I saw when I came here. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, I understand. But this was just one of those times when everything becomes overwhelming.” you tried to smooth him.

 

You see Zhin lean forward and you instinctively try to escape, but Zhin moves the hand on your cheek to the back of your head to stop you from backing away. He kisses your forehead.

 

“You don’t need to suffer alone. I am always here to help you.” he murmured “Please, next time, try to find me.”

 

“I will try, I promise.” that was always your answer when this happens, but you would never comply to it because the moment you think about doing it your mind starts to torturing you with dark thoughts.

 

“I think we need some time to relax. Would you like to take a walk? Perhaps we can visit town and see if there’s something you like.” he asked with a kind voice.

 

In that moment you remembered why you love him. He is a kind man, always worrying about your health and your happiness. he is the only one that cares for you, even with the weight of the empire on his shoulders he finds time to be with you.

 

Every time you ‘overwhelmed’ he was there to make you feel better. There were times you tried to hide your sadness and problems, but he always saw right through it.

 

“Can we just stay here?” you asked.

 

“Of course we can. If that’s what makes you happy.” he answered petting your hair.

 

You snuggle closer to Zhin silently expressing your gratitude. For a second you wondered what was he doing before finding you? Why did he came? Wasn’t there any important things to do? 

 

At some point you began to feel too tired, your eyes become heavy and your body started to give in to sleep. You smiled to yourself, sleep sounded a good thing to do. When you were almost falling asleep you made an effort to say a really important thing.

 

“Thank you.” but not just for this but for everything he has ever done to you, the second chance he gave you, for all the time he comforted you on your darkest times and the feeling of home and safety that he always made you feel when he was near you.

 

You felt Zhin tighten the embrace and that was all you needed to know that he heard you. With a smile on your face you fell asleep and with some hope that when you wake up he may still be there.

 

_ ~The End~ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like. Leave kudos if you did please it means the world to me : )


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